By These Hands
by LauraLaurent
Summary: Vincent was always different. Growing up in a town full of prejudice with a borderline insane mother, equally insane tutor, and dark family secrets don't help his case either! The story of Vincent's life. CHAPTER 5 UP!SECRETS ARE REVEALED!R
1. The Boy With Demon Eyes

_Dislaimer: I don't own any of the Final Fantasy characters, but I do own the characters of my own creation_

Hey this is the story of Vincent's life. I will include all aspects including his childhood, teens, Turks, and on.

Hmmm I really edited this story. There were such glaring mistakes, that I had to majorly revise some parts. Well, anyways I hope it reads better than before, and that all you all enjoy this story

Well...read on!

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Good feeling won't you stay with me, just a little longer? _

_It always seems like your leaving when I need you here, _

_just a little longer_

_Dear lady, there are so many things have come to fear  
_

_A little voice says I'm going crazy to see all my worlds disappear  
_

_Vague sketch of a fantasy,  
_

_Laughing at the sunrise like he's been up all night  
_

_Ooo slippin' and slidin' what a good time  
_

_But now have to find a bed that can take this pain_

**_Violent Femmes, Good Feeling_**

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_A __single tear slipped down an unnaturally pale cheek, asa dark-haired man raised his pistol; mouth set, arm quivering._

"_So it's come to this, Mr. Valentine?"_

_Vincent slowly moved his thumb to cock the trigger of the gun._

"_Don't play stupid, you knew full well that I'd kill you for what you've done"_

"_Kill me? Of course, that's a Turks solution for everything. Simply not a logical bone in their body"_

_Blood red eyes hardened, glinting with hate. _"_Logical? You think what you did to her was logical? She trusted you, damn it! She would have done anything for you, and you… you fucking destroyed her!"_

_The other man grinned, revealing his mossy green teeth, " And what did you do to save her, Mr. Valentine? Nothing. You just sat there and watched as the one you loved was dying."_

_The Turk bit his lip so hard, blood dripped down his chin, mingling with his tears._

"_One must destroy in order to progress. It's basic scientific fact, don't you agree Mr. Valentine?"_

_A scream ripped through Vincent's throat. A cry encompassing all of his pain, a cry filled with guilt_

_a cry brimming in loss _

_and pulled the trigger._

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**25 Years Earlier:**

Sherybine was a relatively small town. Unaffected by the discovery of Mako energy a few years back, the village was still rooted in its old fashioned ways.

Most of its inhabitants were families of bluebloods who had received their fortune from inheritance, rather than hard work. Each family clung to the other, and all of the citizens of Sherybine distrusted strangers and anyone who was not "respectable"

The town sprawled across the creatively dubbed "Sherybine Hill" and it was an unwritten fact that whomever lived at the highest point of the hill was the wealthiest,whereas thelower the altitude-- the less power and riches were in your grasp.

Every now and then a foolish family that didn't understand the code of Sherybine would build a house that was too high in comparison to their annual income and though they would not be moved out by force, were soon driven out by the by the politely cruel things the good folk of Sherybine would say to them.

All in all the majority of people in this modest little town were ignorant, prejudiced, and shallowly impressed by fortune and social status.

It was an overly clichéd dark and stormy night. Thunder clouds were gathering in the sky, and wept raindrops over the little town of Sherybine.

It was adoleful rendezvous, seeming as if the whole sky was mourning.Water spilled from the shingles and gutters and every crevasse of the city's dwellings, causing leaks in many of the roofs of the houses adjacent to the bottom of the hill and much annoyance to the higher up residents.

The 15th annual festival commemorating Sherybine's founder, Joseph Sherybine, had begun earlier that day and there was much exasperation from the upper class when the ceremony was unceremoniously interrupted by the rain.

All the party attendants ran inside the recently uninhabited Sherybine mansion, and swiftly resumed their merrymaking in comfort. Just as the festival was reaching its peak, there was a loud rapping on the front door.

One of the nobles waved for their servant to go and see who it was, yet halfway down the hall there was a loud "Slam!" as the door was thrown open.

The partygoers loudly uttered their protests and many rushed to the doorthen gasped at what they saw.

Before them was a soaking wet giant of a man accompaniedby a woman who was holding a small bundle.

The man was very broad, nearly taking up the whole hallway himself, and had small glinting eyes. His countenance was blank as he stood with his back ramrod straight in front of the company. It was obvious he had suffered some sort of military training, yet as imposing of a figure the man presented it paled in comparison to the one adjacent to him.

She was petite, had a perfect figure, and her face could only be described as perfect.

Her wide, green eyes wandered over the procession as her aristocratic white hands wringed the water out of her raven curls. She had deposited the bundle on a sofa by the door, and a glimpse of identical raven hair could be seen through the folds of the blanket.

The attendees were mesmerized as she stretched her milky, bare arms over her head, ruby lips slightly parted.

To all present, the woman gave the appearance of some incorruptible goddess in which all the light and beautiful things of the world gravitated to. Yet, sometimesbrilliance can blind you from the truth, and the brighter the light...the deeper the shadow.

She smiled, her green eyes sparkling and spoke.

"I am very sorry to intrude on your festivities, my friends, but you see my husband and I have been traveling many miles and we had no idea there would be a celebration afoot when we arrived at our new home."

The audience was so bewitched by the woman, that it took a few moments for them to understand her words' meaning.

"Your house?"

Cristal Auschwitz, the unofficial queen of Sherybine, stepped forward glaring jealously at the strange woman.

"I'm afraid, dear, that you are entirely mistaken . You see, the owners of this house passed away years ago, dahling." Cristal drawled, then turned fiercely glaring at her husband Christophe, who was openly gaping at the raven haired beauty.

"I understand your disbelief" the woman replied, smile unwavering, "But you see I had left the house before my father, August Ariface, regrettably passed away and I have all the necessary documents which prove undeniably I am the heir to this fine household."

The large man, whom still hadn't spoken a word, came forward pulling papers from deep in the recesses of his coat, and handed them to Christophe. As he was examining the documents Clara, a kindly housewife, asked what all their names were.

The woman stepped forward with panther-like grace and lightly placed her hand on Clara's.

"Of course! Where are my manners? My name is Eris." She nodded to the silent man next to her and said, "This is my husband, Kreut."

Then finally she pulled off her soaking wet coat and picked up the bundle off the coach and said, pulling away the corners of the blanket to reveal it's contents,"And this… is our child, Vincent Ariface."

Clara cooed with pleasure at the sight of such adorably plump cheeks, and pulled the boy into her arms."Vincent? My dear, what a wonderfully nice name!"

The boy was shaken awake by all the movement and opened his eyes gurgling happily.

" Why…" Clara gasped in shock " Why this little boy….. The little thing's eyes are so bright…they're…"

She stopped mid-sentence as Cristal stepped forward, frowning in disgust and proclaimed,

"They're red."

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Time passed quickly, as it often does, and after a series of arguments and mishaps Kreut and Eris for the past seven years have been comfortably residing in their new home. It was late in July, and a beautiful day when an eight year old boy woke from his slumber.

Vincent blinked sleep from his large, cherry red eyes and pushed himself out of bed. Running his little hands through shortly cropped black hair, the child sprinted from his room.

Passing walls and walls of expensive furnishings and ancient artifacts, he grabbed a croissant from a basket on the dining table as he flew by.

Today Vincent was very excited. Usually the people in town were mean to him and the other kids wouldn't play with him, but today was the day Jared Auschwitz had asked to meet him at the park! Jared was 13 years old and his parents had been especially cruel to Vincent, but the raven haired boy was so happy to finally have someone to play with he didn't care.

Vincent had a flashback of when he was five years old and he and his mom were walking through town together.

Even at that young age Vincent noticed that all the people stopped what they were doing when he and his mom walked by and stared at them, whispering. He looked up at his mom, who didn't seem to notice the attention, and smiled a brilliant smile, the type that you only see on a child's face.

He loved his mom more then anyone in the whole world. He believed she was a princess, the most beautiful girl in the whole entire world.

She was always smiling, always kind, and never ever mean to him. Unlike his dad, whom Vincent was very scared of. His dad never talked to him, and if Vincent was ever near he completely ignored his own son.

As they were walking, Cristal Auschwitz and her two children came toward them. She flipped her blond bob and smirked when she saw the pair, pulling her son and daughter close to her.

"Why, hello Eris, dahling."She called out, still smirking.

"Hello Cristal, how are you?" Eris replied, her grip on Vincent's hand tightening.

"Fine, fine all is going well! What a coincidence we bumped into each other! I was just telling my children how lucky they are to be born without any deformities, or anything of the sort. I mean, it would be simply dreadful for my little Lucrecia to be ostracized for being a freak of nature."

She put emphasis on those last words, staring directly at Vincent's glowing red eyes, then quickly said she was in SUCH a hurry and simply MUST be going. Cristal pulled Lucrecia, who was Vincent's age, even closer to herself and whispered audibly, "You saw his eyes? You shouldn't ever play with that boy. There's something terribly wrong with him. The devil's behind those ghastly eyes!"

As they walked away Vincent began to cry, comprehending to some extent that all the vehemence was directed toward him.

Making hushing noises, Eris lifted him up into milk white arms and gently kissed away his tears.

"You're my perfect little angel the way you are."She murmured; eyes glinted strangely,"You will always be my baby, and I will always take care of you. Those people will get what's coming to them for hurting you"

She placed Vincent back on the ground and grabbed his hand. The little boy could feel it shaking between his fingers. He looked up at his mom's face but her eyes were glazed over, staring out into empty space at some invisible entity.

"I don't know what I'd do if you ever left me, Vincent. Promise to never leave your mommy alone. Say you love me and promise."

"I love you mommy, and I promise"

"You know that once you make a promise you can never break it, right"

"I know"

She smiled, her pupils coming back into focus.

"Good."

Vincent's childhood memories were brought to a halt, as he himself was brought to a halt when he reached the park. While catching his breath, the little boy's blood red eyes glanced at his watch. It was 11 o' clock. Vincent sighed with relief. He had made it! Jared had told him to be at the park at 11:30, so Vincent sat on one of the swings to wait for him.

Threehours passed. The little boy's arms hung limp at his sides, and he leaned his head against the rope of the swing and cried.

Still crying, Vincent pulled himself up off the swing and began his walk home.

He passed by the Auschwitz's manor, and ducked behind a tree when he heard Jared's rough voice. Jared was walking with his friend Mitch and they were laughing about something. Vincent was just about to go to him and tell him that he forgot their plans when Jared turned to Mitch and said,

"Isn't that hilarious? I told that stupid freak I was going to hang out with him today! Like I would ever hang out with a weird, loser kid! He's probably still waiting for me now!"

He lauhged merrily, slapping Mitch on the back. Mitch chuckled tenatively, but didn't seem to find much humor in Jared's prank.

Vincent stood behind the tree his eyes open wide, filled with hurt.

Why was everyone so mean to him?

He had never done anything to deserve how they treated him!

Vincent dropped his head and whispered,"Why do they hate me?"

His sorrow quickly transformed into anger, and he sprang from behind the tree, tears streaming down his face. He shoved Jared in the back as hard as he could, and screamed as the boy whirled to face him,"How could do something like that?"

Jared scowled and swung his fist into the side of Vincent's head, knocking him to the ground.

"Don't touch me, I might catch your freak disease."

Vision swimming, Vincent's gingerly ran his finger through his dark hair where Jared had hit them, and gasped when they came back bloody.

"You're the freak!" He spat out blood, and continued filled with fury, "You have hurt me cause I'm different! Your stupid and…. and….an ass!"

It was the only bad word he knew, and Vincent rewarded himself with a triumphant smile when Jared's lips twisted with rage. He feigned retreat, running his hands through his long brown hair, but at the last minute swung around and threw himself on the small eight year old boy.

Jared sat on his skinny chest and proceeded to pummel him; pounding his fist over and over again into Vincent's pale face.

Blood flew everywhere as he swung again and again as hard as he could. He punctuated his punches with insults, and derogatory comments about Vincent's mother.

The little boy felt like he was dying.

With each hit he slipped further and further way from himself. He tried to call out, but his voice smothered as he swallowed his own blood.

Suddenly something snapped with in him. His red eyes burst open, glowing eerily in the light.

Vincent easily pushed Jared off and stood, gore sliding down his face. The much smaller boy grinned as he leapt onto the older one in a wild fury of movement. He punched, scratched, and bitJared until he was screaming out in agony and fell onto the grass.

Vincent stood up, then lifted his foot in the air and stomped on Jared's face repeatedly. Mitch tried in vain to pull the slender boy away, but Vincent flung teenager away from him with inhuman strength.

He looked back down at the bloody mess he had created. Adrenaline was pulsing through his veins, and he felt like he was caught in a red haze and not really in control of his own body.

Jared opened his terror-stricken eyes and gasped when he saw Vincent's. They were brimming with indescribable luminescence and his pupils had thinned into feral slits, seeming more animal than human. The broken bully began to sob and cried, "Please… Please…no more!"

The 8 year old boy blinked and suddenly revulsion overtook his countenance. He fell onto his hands and knees violently thowing up and screaming at the same time. Mitch took this opportunity to pull Jared onto his feet, and ran in the direction the Auschwitz manor, supporting his bloodied friend.

Vincent let them go, raggedly gasping for breath. He pushed himself back, sitting on his haunches, and looked at his hands. They were ivory stained red and he instantly wanted to throw up again.

"What have I done?"

Vincent sobbed, still staring at his hands, unable to avert his gaze.

"They were right to be afraid of me. I almost killed him. They were all right. Maybe the devil is behind my eyes. I'm a freak"

The sad and confused raven haired boy dragged himself away from the faux battlefield and sat with his back to a weeping willow tree, still staring at his bloodstained hands.

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It get's more interesting later I swear. Be prepared there will be a lot of cameos and OC's in this story. But no Mary Sue's I swear, since I could never write a story like that about Vincent :P

Review my friends!


	2. Cherubs, Counselors, and Greeks

_Dislaimer: Don't own...anything..._

Second Chapy! My two reviews inspired me to write and update, lol.

Just for clarification I want to say that Vincent's mother , Eris, is not named after THE Aeris. She's named after the goddess of discord in ancient Greek mythology. Reasons for such a name will be revealed later in the story.

Also Cristal's name is pronounced like the champagne, and her last name was taken from an old Nazi concentration camp. Haha

Well... read on!

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_You said you hate my suffering,_

_That you understood_

_And you'd take care of me_

_You'd always be there,_

_Well where are you now?_

_Bright Eyes; Haligh, Haligh, A Lie, Haligh_

---666---

Eris was in a panic. She paced back and forth, sometimes stopping to glance out the window, then resuming her pacing. Her breath came in in quick, shallow gasps as her handstwitched inadvertently.

"Where could he be?" She said aloud, her voice cracking.

Eyes darting back and forth, she immediately came up with an explanation for the reason Vincent wasn't home yet.

He'd left her.

She'd always dreaded it, and knew it was bound to happen one day.

Vincent had finally deserted this godforsaken place and left her alone.

He'd left her all alone

Eris's shoulders quivered with trepidation, and her breathing became more and more irregular. The woman's hands forcefully grabbed her sleek, black hair and pulled as hard as they could.

Tears sprang out of the corners of her eyes, as she systematically ripped out chunks of her luxurious locks.

Just as she was ready to inflict even worse punishment on herself, there was a loud knock at the door.

"It's him!"

She cried, her peridot eyes brimming with sudden cheer. She joyously sprinted down the magnificent halls of the Ariface manor, in an attempt to beat the maid to the door.

Her brilliant smile grew even bigger when she realized she had won the race and she slid to a stop, throwing the doors wide open.

Eris was greeted by a truly horrific sight.

Her little boy, her little angel, stood the doorway; blood dripping down his hands and face. Eyes rimmed in purple, the beginnings of violent bruises, he gazed at his mother with a look of sheer horror on his face.

Eris flew forward and swept the bloodied cherub deep into the recesses of her embrace. She stroked his dark hair and whispered, "Oh poor baby, what happened to you? Who did this to you? Who?"

She attempted to suppress her rage, but it was impossible to hide her ire.

Vincent turned his sad, red eyes to his mother's. She was pained by the suffering she saw in them, and she thought, _'Please, oh please God. Don't let him follow the same path I have. Don't let him sin as I have.'_

Ripping off the hem of her skirt Eris began to rub the blood off his face, each wipe revealing more and more of the little boy's ivory skin.

Examining his face, Eris decided he must be the most beautiful child in the world.

His large, expressive eyes…his satin smooth skin. He was as perfect as she was imperfect.

An angel.

Vincent suddenly began to sob, hiccupping his story to his mother.

" Mommy, I… I… J-J-Jared, from next door… he said he'd meet me, but he didn't. I saw him and he was saying bad things about me. And I got so mad! I w-w-went to yell at him, and he he knocked me to the floor. He kept on punching and punching and punching me….. I thought I was gonna die!"

At that he sobbed so hard he couldn't continue. Eris held him close and kissed him until he was able to speak again.

" Then.. Something happened… I.. Don't know…I knocked him off me and just… I just went crazy…. I kept on stomping and stomping on him… 'till you couldn't even see his face! Then Then I realized what I was doing… and his friend carried him away…. I think he's really hurt mommy! I think I hurt him really bad!"

He burrowed his face into his mother's bosom and whispered, "Now I've shown them I really am dangerous."

Eris was in shock. She clung to her shivering child and stood, her eyes shimmering with an eerie light.

"So it's happening to you already."She murmured in an indecipherable tone, nuzzling the back of Vincent's neck.

"What?"

The little brunette queried.

" I love you, Vincent."

Was the reply.

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Counselor Butch T. Nelson had a migraine.

He sat behind the judge stand rubbing his temples and taking in the chaotic scene before him. It was nearly five o' clock in the morning, and the Counselor happened to be very annoyed to be called out of bed at such an ungodly hour.

Cristal Auschwitz had come to his door imploring him to call together an emergency trial, and since she was the goddamn queen of this whole town he was inclined to obey.

Not that Butch T. Nelson could ever be ordered around, he just didn't feel like an argument with such a stuck up bitch so early in the morning.

The courtroom was engulfed in chaos at what had just been said by Jared Auschwitz, who was currently seated at the witness stand. The boy's face was swathed in bandages and only his eyes and mouth were visible. Even beneath his wrappings the counselor could detect the hint of a smirk on the boy's face.

Butch T. Nelson scowled. Even after being beat to a bloody pulp, the boy still had the worst attitude he'd ever seen.

"Rotten to the core" The Counselor muttered recollecting the boy's testimony, completely ignoring the commotion surrounding him.

Jared had recounted all that had occurred last night, when he was allegedly assaulted by eight year old Vincent Ariface.

Snickers had flitted around the room when the word "assault" was used, since it was simply ludicrous that an eight year old boy of Vincent's small stature could possibly injure a strapping thirteen year old.

Jared had snorted in disdain and spoke of how he had done nothing but say he would meet Vincent at the park and when he had regrettably forgotten his obligation, Vincent flew into a wild rage.

"It was like he was possessed by a demon" Jared proclaimed dramatically, a malevolent look gracing his features, "He's evil! Look what he did! I will never look the same again, and it's all that kid's fault. I'll never…never…"

Unable to contain his "grief" any longer the bruised boy had finally burst into very loud and obnoxious sobs, which in turn threw the members of the courtroom into a frenzy.

"Poor child!" They cried. "That horrid Ariface boy, must be punished!"

Their indignantpleas continued to go unnoticed by Butch T. Nelson as he made a point to glare as viciously as he could at Jared.

The boy was shifting uncomfortably in his seat, and kept on stealing nervous glances at the Counselor. The Counselor grinned with malicious glee and turned his death stare up a notch.

Butch T. Nelson was an intimidating man.

He was short in stature, only around 5 foot 8, but made up for his height with attitude. Nearly everyone in town dreaded ever seeing the Counselor's bloodshot blue eyes and weathered face scrutinizing him as he was doing to Jared now.

More than anything the Counselor hated liars, and it was obvious that the Auschwitz kid was a liar.With much regret he pulled his eyes away from the disgruntled teen, and turned his attention to the courtroom.

He sighed at the complete disarray surrounding him and lifted his large hammer, slamming it with a deafening crack on the podium.

"I will have order in this courtroom"

That sardonic whisper leaving Butch T. Nelson's lips caused the entire courtroom to fall silent, looking down sheepishly at their shoes. The Counselor's frown deepened at seeing them behave in such a fashion, just like a bunch of unruly kids.

"Now," The Counselor stated, his gaze roaming over the guilty faces of the citizens of Sherybine,"Now, I think it is time for Mr. Mitchner to come to the stand"

The inaptly named, Mitch Mitchner, gave one look at his mother Clara, and walked up to the stand.

His mother was the very same kindly housewife that had been present the night the Ariface's had first arrived, and was well known for being the sweetest little lady in the whole town.

She waskind toeveryone and her rosy red checks coupled with graying curls beneath a lacy bonnet, attributed to her overall pleasant appearance. Many wondered why such a benign woman would name her son, Mitch Mitchner.

Her countenance revealed nothing as she folded her arms across her buxom chest, preparing to listen to her son's testimony.

Mitch looked extremely nervous; pulling at his chin length blond hair and biting his full lips as he sat himself down.

The young boy had a Grecian look to him, his hair twisting into soft curls that framed chiseled cheekbones. His limbs were long and lithe, yet did not have their usual sculpted appearance, since he was slouching as far down as possible on the witness chair.

How unfortunate that such a delicately featured boy should have such a brutish name, was the thought that crossed the Counselor's mind when the boy began to speak.

"Well…. You see…" He began in a quavering voice but then, glancing at his mother, he continued in a more self assured tone."All that Jared said was a lie. He did promise to meet Vincent at the park, but he did not merely forget his obligation. He purposely didn't show up and left Vincent there, alone."

Cristal Ariface stood up at this statement and insisted the boy must be lying, but was immediately silent when a withering glare from Butch T. Nelson.

"Continue, my dear boy" He said warmly, smiling at Mitch."I have reason to believe, as should the members of this courtroom, that you would have no reason to lie since there is nothing for you to gain and much for you to lose. Unlike your friend Mr. Auschwitz."

Mitch nodded, gulping, and continued,"Jared and I were walking and he was telling me how he tricked Vincent, and laughed, calling him a freak. I… I laughed too, and I must say that I am so sorry Vincent since it was a cruel and unfounded action."

He paused, looking at the little boy sitting in the "Accused" stool at the center of the room, and gave a hesitant smile when the pale child inclined his head.

Butch T. Nelson's glance was drawn to the boy too and was still shocked by the figure he presented. The purplish bruises and cuts served to heighten the child's overall ethreal look.

His porcelein features and glossy hair could be attributed to his mother, who had been escorted from the courtroom after trying to chuck her shoe at Cristal, but his eyes were his own. They glowed with a lurid light, and gave him a cherubic yet, at the same time, demonic appearance.

His reverie was broken when Mitch continued his testimony.

"Then, Vincent must have been near enough to hear what we said and he ran towards us and shoved Jared. He was saying something about how it was mean of Jared to do something like that, and Jared punched him in the face. Vincent was then bleeding and continued to say how everyone was cruel to him for no reason at all, and that Jared was the freak. Jared got really mad at that and surprised Vincent, jumping on his chest. Jared punched and punched him until I was sure that Vincent was going to die, when suddenly Vincent threw Jared off him. Vincent threw himself at Jared, and beat him until suddenly he stopped and threw up. I took this chance to rescue Jared, and pulled him back to his house, while Vincent didn't move an inch."

"A very different account than that of Mr. Auschwitz"Counselor Butch T. Nelson stated, and then asked, "Do you, Mr. Mitchner, believe that young Mr. Ariface was acting out of maliciousness or in his own defense?"

Mitch's fair features gleamed as he said,"Sir, I believe that Jared would have ended up killing Vincent if he had been allowed to continue punching him, and even though Vincent's retaliation was violent, it was not unfounded. Vincent's attack was one of self-defense."

The Counselor smiled and gestured for Mitch to return to his seat next to his mother.

She proudly wrapped her arms around his shoulders when he came back, as he hung his head in relief.

Commotion again overtook the room, mostly instigated by Cristal, but was immediately hushed by the evilest of looks from Counselor Butch T. Nelson. He stood up, which was the signal that he had reached a verdict so the rest of the court stood up in unison.

" I have reached a verdict."

The Counselor said, rubbing his eyelids.

"And I think it is obvious who is at fault here, but still there was incredible ferocity directed towards each of the involved parties."

He glanced at Vincent, at his almost too perfect face and said,

"My verdict is…"

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My! A Cliffhanger! I should be writing a new chappy but all I did was a rewrite, lol. 

I'm seriously in love witht he characters in this story. Just as a warning there will be many random, quirky peeps I'm gonna add into this angsty fic just for my own amusement

I love the inaptly named Mitch Mitchner, and...

COUNSELOR BUTCH T. NELSON!

Read and review as always, I need the reviews to spur the update process!


	3. Surly Boy's Punishment

_Disclaimer: Don't own...will never own... very sad I be..._

Yes! New chapter! This one isn't as angsty as the others. It was nice to be lighthearted and smiling when I wrote, for a change! I really like this one soo check it out!

Sadly, no Butch T. Nelson or Mitch Mitchner in these chapters, but I plan on Mitch being an important OC throughout this whole fic.

Oh and whoever said the comment about evil Jared (I'm to lazy to check who :P sorry) it mad me laugh cause that's my brothers name and for a second I thought you were randomly saying my brother was evil. It's funny... me and my brother have a great relationship but somehow his named seemed to fit perfectly with the evil kid in this fic... oh well...Almost all of my characters names either have some meaning, or are taken from my friends cause I like the familiarity, hahaha

Well... read on!

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_My teachers, they built the retaining wall memory, all those multiple choices I answered so quickly.  
And I got my grades back and forgot just as easily, but as least I got an A.  
So I don't have them to blame. _

_Bright Eyes, Let's Not Shit Ourselves (To Love and be Loved)_

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_Acrid, artificial light._

_Blinded, a man struggled to escape his restraints._

_Chains were wrapped around his limbs, leaving angry red marks where they pulled cruelly on his skin._

_He could see a dark figure above him, outlined in light… an eclipse, shadowing the pathetic man's hope of freedom._

_Not that he wanted to escape for his own benefit, the man believed that he deserved being tortured for all eternity._

_Repentance._

_He needed to kill the shadow in front of him and avenge… Her._

_The demon before him leaned closer, his greasy hair inches away from the restrained man and softly stroked the side of Vincent's cheek_

"_So beautiful… All I ever wanted was you. Every part of you… your heart, soul, and body to dissect and rearrange." _

_His eyes gleamed happily when he saw rage fill the man chained to the table; flinching away from the other's touch._

"_We are trying something different today; no injections. All I want to do is perform a little test with this robotic arm I've crafted."_

_Vincent looked in horror at what the other man held before him._

_It was a claw._

_Cold and cruel, it was shimmering gold and razor sharp. The greasy haired man grinned and said,_

"_I believe you have already deduced what I plan to do with this arm. Don't look so horrified, it's an improvement! Everything I have done and will do to you will be an improvement. I am a scientific genius, after all."_

_He set the wicked thing on the table next to Vincent, and picked up a large saw. It's edges were jagged and dull, it was a tool that had been put to much use._

"_I'm sorry to say that I have no anesthesia, but I believe it will be a very enlightening experience. _

_Imagine…you will be one of the few given the privilege of having their own arm sawn off before their very eyes. If you listen carefully, you can even hear your bones splintering."_

_The greasy-haired man grinned insanely and raised the saw over Vincent's arm._

_Vincent turned his blood-red eyes to where the saw was about to rip through his flesh and whispered,_

"_Repentance" _

_---666---_

Vincent sighed as his eyes roamed over his dismal surroundings.He sat on a little stool and a large, imposing steel table was positioned in front of him. It seemed to be grinning maliciously at him, growing larger and larger casting a shadow on the boy.

Vincent cursed that at the tender age of 13 he was cursed to endure such torment. He morosely cast his glare around his cramped cell, until he heard the door began to creak open.

Vincent flinched at the familiar sound, and steeled himself for the worst.

The man that stood in the doorway, most likely was never the type to give a good first impression.

A large scar marred his features, stretching across his nose from ear to ear. When he grinned, as he was doing now, his large, shiny teeth looked like fangs coupled with his slanting yellow eyes and spiked red hair.

He was around six foot seven and his limbs were long, thin, and gangly. One would think to have such height and be so thin would givethe man anawkward look, but the red haired man was the epitome of grace.

He strode towards Vincent, in a cocky manner, fixing his tie and adjusting his lopsided top hat.

Vincent's large, red eyes narrowed as the man sat down and he crossed his arms defiantly over his chest. The man either was ignoring the displeasure directed at him or was oblivious, since he only grinned even bigger at Vincent.

Vincent decided the latter,sincethe man began to hum a jaunty tune as he pulled heavy, difficult - looking books from his pack.

"Now!" He said in a sickeningly jolly, singsong sort of voice. The kind that makes you want to strangle the person after exchanging a few words with them."Let's continue your lessons, Vin Vin, I will make a scholar of you yet!"

"Jax, don't call me Vin Vin ever again." Vincent growled in a low, dangerous voice.

Jax's ever present grin faded for a second andhe rubbed his scar with a very serious look on his face.

Then the grin abruptly returned and Jax waved his arms in the air exclaiming, "Oh Vin Vin! I almost forgot! We're not studying THIS stuff today! Uh unh, no way! I have something totally different or today, I'm glad I remembered. That would have been bad if I had forgotten! I wonder if other tutors are as flaky as me? I would start writing things down, but I always forget where I put my notes and then I'm late cause I look for them an…"

Jax continued in this trend for quite a while, rubbing his scar and looking thoughtful, giving Vincent time to ponder his predicament.

After the incident five years ago, the Counselor's verdict had been that Vincent and Jared would both spend two months probation. They were both confined to their houses, except for when they were needed to do work for the community. Vincent had thought it a fair verdict and was very relieved, until he learned that Cristal was infuriated.

She was simply appalled by the fact that her son should be punished too, and constantly fought tooth and nail to cause trouble for Vincent and his family.

Well… Vincent and his mom. Vincent's father Kreut never reacted to anything, so his response to Cristal's shenanigans was an empty stare and a few blinks.

Cristal, having complete social control over the inhabitants of Sherybine, was able to get Vincent expelled from the town's school so e was more of a social outcast than ever before.

At first Vincent had been devastated by the way he was treated, buthe had grown used to it. It had transformed him into a moody, surly introvert, yet nonetheless he was used to it.

Being expelled from school was where the incessantly strange Jax came in.

After weeks of unsuccessfully searching for an adequate tutor Jax strolled into the Ariface manner, his obnoxious grin plastered to his face. Eris was insanely protective of her son and no tutor, no matter what the credentials, had satisfied her... so it seemed Jax had no chance.

The whole manor's inhabitants jaws nearly unhinged, when Eris chose him for a tutor. She completely adored Jax, and even though he had half the experience of all the other applicants, Eris was completely comfortable with having him educate her son.

Even when Vincent complainedconstantly about how annoying and stupid Jax was, Eris wouldn't hear it. It was a decision completely out of character for the beautiful woman.

Usually she could never deny the spoiled boy's every whim, but it was as if Jax had bewitched her.

Now that he thought of it, Vincent wouldn't put it past the borderline insanity of the redhead.

The raven haired boy was doomed to endure hours of torture from the overly enthusiastic Jax, and began to hate what he had once loved.

Vincent enjoyed any sort of literature immensely, and was a whiz at anything to do with writing. This included penmanship, interpreting literary works, creative writing, constructing essays, grammar, reading, translating and writing other languages, and anything else along that theme.

Yet even though Vincent was a genius in the literary arts, he hated learning it from Jax. Jax would go completely psycho and would expect Vincent to know everything to the most minute detail.

His quizzes would consist of rewriting poems that he had barely glanced at months ago, and he had to know the name, hometown, political standing, and even favorite fruit of every author that he came across.

It was completely mind numbing and now Vincent could hardly even find the energy to read for pleasure.

As bad as that portion of the tutoring was, it dimmed in comparison to the incomprehensible pain that was inflicted by the other.

Arithmetic. Algebra. Biology. Chemistry. Biomechanics. Trigonometry. The mere mention of these words made Vincent flinch with disgust. He completely abhorred all the sciences, and studying them was like cutting up his slender hands and soaking them in lemon juice.

_Actually, _he mused, _I think I would prefer that to Jax teaching those subjects_.

Delighted that Vincent hated the subject, Jax loved to give the unfortunate boy piles of homework on the subject and devised sadistic punishments if it failed to be completed.

Overall Vincent's completely angsty personality, fueled by past experiences and teenage hormones, clashed with Jax's optimisticllyjolly manner.

This resulted in Vincent completely detesting him and being in a violent temper whenever Jax was in the vicinity.

He was in fact casting his still-in-development death glare at Jax, as the redhead led him, skipping, through the halls of the manor. The death glare had been passed on to Vincent by Counselor Butch T. Nelson, who deemed him cynical enough to use it well...but the teen was still in the process of perfecting it.

The Counselor and his wife were practically the only people in Sherybine who would even look at Vincent, and invited his over as often as they could. The Counselor said it was only to scare away nosey neighbors, but Vincent had a feeling the Butch T. Nelson enjoyed his company just as much as he enjoyed his.

In fact, besides the Nelson's, the only other friend that Vincent had in the world was Mitch Mitchner. Ever since the day of the trial Mitch had come to visit oftenand despite the torments he received from his classmates, he remained a constant companion of the younger boy.

Vincent didn't care anyways. He had long ago decided that nearly everyone in Sherybine was idiots, and excluding a few citizens he would never want to have anything to do with them in the first place.

At least this was what he told himself.

But, his logic was often betrayed by his heart, especially when a certain Lucrecia Auschwitz would pass his way.

His daydreams were interrupted when Jax stopped and threw the large double doors leading to the great hall open.

The great hall was a large room once used to host parties, that had been completely abandoned. The were at least five great halls in the Ariface manor and this one was slightly less majestic than the others, so it had stood empty for many years.

"Why the hell did you take me here?" Vincent grumbled, slouching against the wall.

Jax swiftly grabbed the boys ear, and painfully lifted Vincent into the air with it saying happily,"No swearing Vin Vin!"

Dropping him, the man's topaz eyes gleamed, as he dramatically gestured towards the hall and exclaimed,"This is where we begin your training, in the fighting arts, Vin Vin!"

Impossibly his grin grew even wider at Vincent's confused look, and unsuccessfully attempted to flip his short hair saying, "What? You didn't know that besides being a genius, I'm also one of the best fighters you'll ever find?"

Vincent rolled his eyes and scowled.

* * *

Blah...abrupt ending. I wanted Vincent to give Jax some biting retort, but could only think of corny lines that would just make him look like an idiot. It's hard for me to make Vincent say clever things, cause I usually sound like an idiot. I'll work on it... 

Well, how do you like Jax? Give feedback! Reviews are very welcome! I want at least 2 or I'm never writing again

Who am I kidding I love writing this story, so nevermind just review for the warm, fuzzy feeling you'll get when you know your making my poor, pathetic day special! Ha


	4. Friends

This is my longest chapter yet, it's one of my favorites too so...

Read on!

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* * *

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_This is the first day of my life  
I swear I was born right in the doorway  
I went out in the rain suddenly everything changed  
They're spreading blankets on the beach_

_Yours is the first face that I saw  
I think I was blind before I met you  
Now I don't know where I am  
I don't know where I've been  
But I know where I want to go_

_And so I thought I'd let you know  
That these things take forever  
I especially am slow  
But I realize that I need you  
And I wondered if I could come home_

_Remember the time you drove all night  
Just to meet me in the morning  
And I thought it was strange you said everything changed  
You felt as if you had just woke up  
And you said "this is the first day of my life  
I'm glad I didn't die before I met you  
But now I don't care I could go anywhere with you  
And I'd probably be happy"_

_So if you want to be with me  
With these things there's no telling  
We just have to wait and see  
But I'd rather be working for a paycheck  
Than waiting to win the lottery  
Besides maybe this time is different  
I mean I really think you like me_

_Bright Eyes; First Day of My Life_

_---666---_

_Alone._

_Strapped to the operating table in the dark, with nothing but his inner demons to keep him company._

_Vincent groaned as he reflected on his life._

**"_You are stained."_**

_The voice in his head growled._

**"_Nothing but a crazy fool who has murdered countless people for your own benefit"_**

_Vincent could feel the monster within him smirk,_

**"_All those you have ever held dear are dead because of you, and this is thereppercussion ofall your sins._**

_**To remain alone, slowly being eaten away by your insanity"**_

_Vincent grimaced and said aloud,_

"_I'm not insane"_

**"_Says the man who is currently talking to the entity within his head."_**

_Vincent opened his tormented, confused eyes wide and exclaimed,_"_You wouldn't be in my head if it wasn't for Hojo! He did this!"_

_A cold, dark chuckle seemed to reverberate through the room,_

**"_Please, I was always a part of you. All Hojo has done is manifested the thoughts that were already a part of you. He manifested the darkness that has always lain in the abyss of your cracked, incomplete soul."_**

_Vincent laughed at this, flexing his long pale fingers._

"_Oh Hojo you sadistic bastard, only you are twisted enough to make one literally have inner demons."_

_---666---_

Vincent gasped for air as he wiped the sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his sweater.

He focused on slowing down his breathing, taking long deep breaths whilst glaring warily at Jax.

Jax was grinning widely, and kept eye contact with Vincent as he shrugged out of his black and white pinstriped blazer.

"Why do you dress so weird?" He inquired, his eyes twinkling, "I mean… that little preppy boy attire doesn't work for you at all and besides, Vin Vin, you can't exactly call a wooly green sweater the most practical thing to wear when your gonna be training."

Vincent glanced at his sweat stained outfit, and couldn't deny that it was impractical and stupid. He was wearing a tight sweater that his mom had knitted for his birthday, and everything from the dress shirt underneath his sweater with the collar popping out, to his shiny, black loafers screamed Mama's boy.

It wasn't his fault that his mom wouldn't buy him cool clothes, and besides Jax wasn't wearing the best attire suited for fighting either.

Vincent decided long ago that Jax had a strong affinity for wild suits, and his assumption was not proved wrong in the slightest by Jax's choice of clothing that day. He was decked out head to toe in a broad shouldered pinstriped suit, including a slanting top hat and spats.

Looking very much like a gangster of some past era, the red haired man swung his gold-topped cane until it was little more than a blur, and patiently awaited Vincent's response.

"Jax, I had no idea we were going to be training in fighting, and besides you're hardly one to talkwith that idiotic suit your wearing."

Jax rubbed his scar and looked sad as he said, imploringly, "But… I always thought I looked extra sexy in this particular suit! I mean, the yellow tie completely compliments my tawny eyes!" The eyes in question suddenly had a serious glint, as the tall man brandished his cane and took a threatening stance.

"But I digress… your clothing is of no importance, since it seems you are still in need of much training. I mean, you haven't even hit me yet!"

Looking embarrassed, Vincent pulled the sweater over his head and prepared for the next onslaught of attacks from Jax.

He still couldn't get over how incredibly skilled the goofy tutor was. Vincent had always considered himself an unnaturally good fighter, but compared to him Jax's skills were unparalleled. He had begun the fight with much confidence, but was utterly crushed by the graceful tutor.

It was as if Jax was bouncing on clouds when he fought. A bundle of energy, his long limbs moving ease and perfect timing. He had hardly broke a sweat in their little scuffle, whereas Vincent was on the point of passing out.

The teen believed he would have fared better if only they weren't fighting with sticks. Vincent just didn't feel comfortable with the long, awkward pole in his hand and his movements were inevitably hindered by it.

He hated the barbarity of swords. The idea of people roughly hacking each other to bits with sharp hunks of metal just didn't appeal to him, no matter what Jax said about the artistry of swordsmanship.

Vincent would rather attack from afar, in a cool and collected fashioninstead of rushinginto a battlefilled with foolhardy notions such as bravery and honor.

Not that Vincent was a coward, he had already proved himself many times to be incredibly brave, he was just more of a strategist.

Also, though the teen would never admit it, he was terribly frightened of committing a heinous act like the one he had done so many years ago, and figured that if he distanced himself from the enemy he would never lose control again.

That was really the only thing Vincent feared.

Losing control.

"Vincent!" Jax crowed, breaking Vincent out of his reverie."Assume your stance, please. I wish to continue this little tussle."

Vincent groaned at the thought of having his ass thoroughly beaten again, but was saved by the voice of his mother across the other side of the manor, trilling, "Vincent! Your little friend, Mitch is here! Come to the door! Vincent?"

Vincent's cheeks flushed. Just like his mom to call Mitch his "little friend", even though he was nearlyfour years older than him.

He smirked up at Jax and exclaimed, his voice full of false disappointment, "Oh no! I guess our time is up! I simply have to fulfill the prior obligations I made with my dear friend. Au Revoir, mon bon ami!"

The latter's mouth twitched in what suspiciously looked like a suppressed smile, and put his hands on his hips in a cringingly feminine manner.

"Fine, be off with you! But Vin Vin, I'm working you three times as hard tomorrow!"

Vincent scowled and grumbled, "Bastard."

Then sprinted at full speed out of the room, narrowly avoiding Jax's cane as it was flung towards his head.

_---666---_

Vincent and Mitch walked together on the familiar path towards the ocean. It was fairly close to Sherybine, only about a mile away from the poorest house at the bottom of the hill.

Since it was nearly the middle of December the weather was chillingly crisp, so the path to the sea was deserted. This happened to be the exact reason that Vincent and Mitch went nearly everyday in the winter months.

It was the picture of calm. Every now and then the silence was broken by the snow delicately drifting from the tops of pine trees, and the sun shone brightly outside, shafts of light slanting across the boys' faces.

They laughed because at that moment it seemed as if the very world was at their fingertips. They ran down the path, not caring if they were seen acting much younger than their age, and threw snowballs at each other.

Finally the patches of snow became more and more sporadic, as the two friends glimpsed the glistening sea on the horizon.

"Race you!" Mitch yelled over his shoulder, already a good distance ahead of his friend.

He was determined to win this time, but Vincent caught up with him in the end and pulled a last minute victory.

" I am God" Vincent said, letting himself fall straight back onto the sand,

"I mean, how do you handle hanging out with such a supreme specimen of physical fitness? Seriously, your self-esteem must be shot to pieces!"

"Oh yeah,"said Mitch quietly, delicately seating himself next to Vincent on the cold, rough sand. "You're a real stud."

"Right, pretty boy, I hear that sarcastic tone. Just you wait, when I'm the most famous mercenary of all time you'll be eating your words."

The ocean breeze tumbled over the beach, gently tousling Mitch's golden curls as he distractedly bit his bottom lip.

"So your still set on that plan? Your going to travel to that new city, Midgar, to be a mercenary?"

"Definitely. All I need to do is find a way to break the news to my mother. I mean, all my memories from a little kid are her telling me to never leave her. I'm afraid how she's going to react, but whatever happens there's no way I'm spending my whole life in this little shit hole town."

Mitch turned his tanned face to the ocean nervously, and Vincent had to stifle a chuckle. Even though he was 16 years old, Mitch Mitchner still got slightly uncomfortable when someone swore around him.

Raised with strict morals, he was the appidimy politeness and put thought into every word he said whereas Vincent tended to be reckless, and had no patience for social customs and pretences.

Yet, despite Vincent's utter disdain for society, years of living among the enemy had worn off and everything about him defined the word _aristocratic_. True, he was what some may call a "rebel", but made up for his unsociable manner wholly on his looks.

Vincent had grown quite a bit since the age of eight, and now stood about an inch below Mitch. Which was unusual since Mitch was already about six feet tall and wasthree years older than Vincent.

The tips of the teen's smooth, raven hair just barely touched his shoulders and caused his face to be shockingly pale in comparison. His skin was blemish free and almost looked unreal, as if Vincent was carved from a block of marble. These attributes, coupled with his deep, red eyes, made Vincent a handsome, yet very different looking young man.

Vincent impatiently pushed himself up off the ground, and turned around to face Mitch.

Sometimes he couldn't help but be jealous of his best friend. With his Apollonian looks and incredibly bright smile, Mitch was one of the most charismatic people he had ever met.

Not that Vincent had vast experience with the human race in general, but he just had a feeling that Mitch was special somehow. At this very moment Mitch's hair was being blown back from his face, and was a bright halo shooting light in every direction.

Yes, the Apollo look-a-like presented such an amiable figure, that he above all others was able to maintain his popularity in Sherybine, even though he associated with Vincent.

Something about the teen's slightly nervous manner and genuine niceness melted even the hearts of the rigid citizens of Sherybine.

"Hey Vincent?"said Mitch, still staring out at the ocean,

"When you leave…Can I come with you?"

"Why?" Vincent replied, picking a seashell up off the ground and skipping it across the serene waters.

"I… I've grown tired of this town, too. I want to see the world. Everything I can! I have always dreamed of crossing the ocean one day, and just living, you know? I want to help people. I want show my artwork to the world." Mitch's face flushed at this and he halted in his speech.

"Go on!" Vincent urged, "Your oil paintings are amazing, and I'm sure that all the people in the real world will love them."

"Yes… I would like to be a painter, or some sort of physician maybe. Not a soldier or anything like that. I don't want to fight, I just want everyone to be happy."

"An admirable wish," Vincent sighed, running his long fingers through his dark hair, "But Mitch, not everyone's like you. I mean the majority aren't. I mean… the whole human race is twisted, greedy… they only look out for themselves and deep down are just as savage as the monsters they hunt."

Vincent expected an angry retort from Mitch, but all he received was a benign, understanding smile.

"You don't mean that, Vincent. You have just had a very hard life from a young age, you will see. As soon as we get out of this godforsaken town we will experience all the joys to be had from humanity."

Vincent was unconvinced but responded, "Sure, you're right Mitch. I'm just a jaded son of a bitch is all. Ignore me."

Mitch looked relieved and said quietly, "Vincent, you know mercenaries have to kill, right? So what will you do ifsomeone you're supposed to assassinate is a good person. I mean, how will you be able to kill anyone at all?"

"Please, Mitch. I will not be that type of mercenary. I'll… I'll just do odd jobs, you know? Stuff like that. I don't plan on killing anyone."

"Really?"

"Don't worry so much! It's not like I'm gonna turn into some cold-blooded killing machine, and murder you!"

"Promise?"

Vincent rolled his eyes.

"Promise."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The moonlight rippled over the ocean, and Vincent slunk his head lower into his sweater as he watched the light dancing on the water.

Mitch had left long ago, and despite many protests on his part wasunable to get Vincent to join him.Vincent didn't feel like going back to the manor to see his mom ripping her hair out in worry, and he didn't want to try to talk to his totally unresponsive dad.

Besides, the last time he had stayed at the beach late a certain someone had wandered is way.

Vincent's breath caught in his throat just at the thought of her, and mentally reprimanded himself for being such a loser.

Lucrecia.

Even her name was beautiful. It reminded him of the moon, shining through the clouds at night. Of all the mysterious and wondrous things, that lay hidden in the darkest forests in deepest canyons.

A light in the dark.

Vincent bit his lip, and hugged himself because it was getting very cold out.

"She's probably not coming." He said aloud, and moodily kicked a crab that was crawling towards him.

The first chance meeting at the beach had been amazing.

Sure, it was awkward at first, but that was to be expected since Vincent was the one who had severely beaten her older brother, and was the source of all evil... according to Cristal Auschwitz.

Yet, once the tension had passed, they had spoken of all their deepest thoughts and desires.

It turns out Lucrecia hated the arrogance of her mother and brother, yet still found it in her heart to defend them. She was the sweetest, kindest person Vincent had ever met. She gave him hope that there were other genuinely good people, besides Mitch and the Nelsons.

Suddenly he glanced up and the object of his affection was standing right before him.

She smiled, and Vincent wondered at it's luminescence.

He quickly took everything in.

Her long, wavy white blond hair fluttered behind her, stray strands drifting across her warm, brown eyes. She was wearing a long white shift, that in Vincent's opinion made her look like an angel that had tumbled from the heavens.

He smiled wryly when he thought that Lucrecia would definitely be the type to stumble from heaven. She was a little spacey, and at that very moment tripped delicately and fell softly next to Vincent.

Lucrecia accomplished all tasks proficiently, yet it always seemed as if it all happened by accident.

Say, she would be cooking soup, she would be distracted by a fly in a spider's clutches and whilst she was saving the poor thing's life, the pale haired girl would lose her balance and the soup would fly into the air but miraculously every drop would return to its proper place. Then she would proceed to charmingly fumble her way about, into ultimately completing the task without a single drop spilt.

It wasn't that Lucrecia was a klutz, she just was often distracted by the color of the sky or an intricate design of a carpet to ever pay attention to silly things like chores and obligations.

Vincent turned to Lucrecia and smiled his most brilliant smile.

She smiled too, and blushed when Vincent took her hand in his.

For once in her life, Lucrecia didn't look distracted as Vincent leaned towards her his lips inches away from her.

They stayed out until twilight, much to the chagrin of both their families, but were young and in love and didn't care in the slightest.

* * *

Awwww so sweet! Sorry Lucrecia didn't talk... I was too into writing about Mitch, and got lazy at the end. Don't worry she will talk much more in other parts. There was a little bit of foreshadowing in this chapter, so see if you can spot it! ...hehe it's pretty obvious, so I bet everyone figured it out. 

P.S. Don't you love Jax's outfit?

P.P.S. Mitch Mitchner is my favorite character in the whole world (besides Vincent)

P.P.P.S. Read and Review! I need your reviews to keep this story goin! Also, the next chapter is gonna have many twist and eye openers so I need emotional support to get off my ass and write!


	5. The Big Picture

Wow I've just been having a burst of creativity lately. I had so many ideas for this fic, and you guys don't know how much I just want to skip forward and reveal everything I'm planning! But I must be patient... this chapter's a BIGGY. It is vital to the whole story, and is going to lead to some much needed action in the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own any Final Fintasy 7 characters or plotlines

Read on!...

P.S. I edited this...lol. I know before I said I was just too tired, but there were some glaring mistakes I had to fix. The story wasn't changed though so no worries.

P.P.S If you guys ever see any mistakes, don't hesitate to tell me cause I never seem to see them myself

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_The picture is far too big to look at kid. Your eyes won't open wide enough_

_and you are constantly surrounded by that swirling stream of what is and what was._

_Well, we've all made our predictions but the truth still isn't out._

_So if you want to see the future, go stare into a cloud._

_And keep trying to find your way out of that maze of memories._

_It all sort of looks familiar, but then you get up close and it's different. clearly._

_Each time you turn a corner, you are right back to where you were_

_and your only hope is that forgetting might make a door appear._

_Bright Eyes; The Big Picture_

_---666---_

_Vincent was delirious._

_Engulfed in darkness, he groaned and rolled his head back and forth._

_The broken man could see monsters in every corner of the dismal room._

_Shadows grinning maliciously, groping for something with long bloodied claws._

_Tears filled his eyes and he babbled no sequentially between sobs._

_"So sorry...dead...didn't mean to... beautiful...so bright...an angel"_

_He began to twitch spastically and his wild hair fell from his face as he cried in distress._

_"Shinra... me, a Turk?...evil...I'm evil... Hojo...war...Sephiroth...my beloved Lucrecia...coward...Mitch... glowing...dead...should have been me..."_

_His movement limited by the restraints, he clenched his fists so tight blood oozed from his palms._

_"Fire...everyone's gone...father...Valentine...MOTHER!"_

_He screamed in agony._

_"MOTHER! MOTHER! I'd never leave you! I'm so sorry, mother! I will stay with you forever! Don't cry mother... Don't cry..."_

_He wept bitterly, and lost consciousness._

_---666---_

Lucrecia could just see the circles beneath her big blue eyes before she sneezed into the mirror.

She gigged at the slightly warped vision now reflected and lifted her pink handkerchief, carefully wiping off the silvery surface.

"Being sick sucks," she pouted "And I haven't seen Vincent in weeks! Agh stupid tutor and his stupid suits and stupid, stupid, um face."

The spacey blond didn't have the largest vocabulary, so usually reverted to the ever useful word "stupid" as a way to express herself when she was angry.

Lucrecia bit her lip leaned over to drop the soiled hanky into her garbage pail, only to catch her tiny ankle on the leg of her armoire and tumble onto satin sheets.

Deciding it must have been destiny, Lucrecia rolled around in the blankets until she looked like a frilly, pink sausage covered with unicorns and daisies.

Completely immobile, the strange girl gazed across the room at her mirror without really looking into it and let her mind wander, as it often did.

She had just seen Vincent for the first time in three months, and was upset by the fact she had spent practically no time with him. After five visits to the beach with no appearance made by the raven haired boy, she had decided to take matters into her own hands.

Even though she was forbidden to go to the Ariface manor, Lucrecia could see no other option. So earlier that day, she concocted a plan.

After school was over, she sneakily told her brother that she was meeting her friend at the park for a school project, and would be home later that night. Jared had grunted in response, and taking it as an affirmative reply, Lucrecia skipped her merry way to Vincent's house.

Slightly in awe of how gigantic the mansion was, Lucrecia slammed the big golden knocker against the door. Delighted by the echoing sound it produced, she knocked them against the door again and again until a very annoyed maid answered the door.

"What do you want?"she snarled, glaring down at Lucrecia.

"Um well you see I wanted," A little frazzled, Lucrecia tried in vain to remember why she was at this place, having forgotten in her enthusiasm over the knockers. " I…my! You have such cute ears!"

The maid gave her a slightly shocked look and covered her lobes saying, " My ears?"

Lucrecia's eyes lit up as she leaned forward to get a closer look and said, " Oh yes! They're so perfectly round! They're just like mouse ears!… no not so big as mouse ears…. No bear ears! Just like bear ears, all round and furry!"

Brimming with interest Lucrecia examined the "bear ears" of the progressively angrier and angrier woman, until she was saved from receiving a slap in the face by the arrival of Eris Ariface.

The gorgeous woman pushed the maid out of the way and said, "Lucrecia Auschwitz, right? I hope you're not here on orders of you mother."

At Vincent's mother's appearance Lucrecia's memory was jolted and she quickly replied, " Oh no, no my mom has no idea I'm here! In fact I had to make up a story to get here!"

She stood nodding very seriously until Eris's deadpan reply, "Well then why are you here?"

"Oh to see Vincent of course! You see he hasn't been there lately when I go to the beach at night, and usually he is cause usually we meet there and talk a long time until really late at night, and I remember last time we found a crab and I named him Joseph cause he looks like the man Joseph who fixed the door in my room last month."

She was greeted with dumbfounded stares from both maid and mother, and wondered idly if she should try to talk less with people she had just met. Lucrecia had a problem of saying whatever was on her mind whether it be her darkest secrets or the color of the bug she saw three weeks ago. Most of the time it was harmless though it sort of freaked people out, but sometimes her tendency to babble got her in trouble.

Eris was looking at her with an indecipherable expression on her face. Her eyes had a sort of faraway look, and her hands were shaking spastically at her sides. Lucrecia thought she could almost see hatred in the beautiful woman's expression, but dismissed this thought when Eris smiled widely and wrapped her arm around Lucrecia's shoulder crying, "Welcome, welcome then! You are such a charming girl! Vincent is in the middle of a lesson with his tutor, but I'm sure they won't mind you joining them, yes?"

"No I'm sure Vincent won't! In fact I'm pretty sure he likes me, but don't tell anyone cause I'm not sure."

Eris's grip on Lucrecia's shoulder tightened and she said in a strained voice, "Is that so?… Tell me, what do you and Vincent talk about?"

Lucrecia grinned. She liked Vincent's mother! So friendly!

"Oh normal stuff I guess. We talk about our families, and what we want to do when we're old. I want to be scientist cause I really like bugs and plants and stuff like that. Vincent says he wants to move to Midgar and be a mercenary cause he feels trapped here cause everyone's mean to him. I told him that I think moving to Midgar's a good idea cause I wanna go there to and be a scientist for that Shinra company, and he said we could go together!"

Eris's breathing came out harsher and harsher during this speech and at the end Lucrecia glanced at her, fearing for the woman's life.

Eris was using her free hand to grasp tightly at the scalp of her head, and her lips were trembling. Raven hair concealed the woman's face and Lucrecia was just about to ask if something was wrong, when they came upon large double doors and Eris croaked, "In there" and fled.

Watching the woman as she rushed off, the girl thought she almost looked like some wildanimal leaping after it's prey. Lucrecia pressed her palm against her forehead and groaned, "I bet I said too much."

Trying to recount what she had said that might upset Vincent's mother, Lucrecia distractedly pushed the doors open.

"Vincent! Don't be stupid! Never look at your opponent's arms or legs waiting for the attack! You need to concentrate on the center of the body, where all movements are betrayed!"

Lucrecia was very scared when she saw the scene spread before her. A very tall man in an orange plaid suit that clashed horribly with his red hair, was holding Vincent by the ear and steadily shaking him with it.

"Nooo don't hurt him!" Lucrecia cried, throwing herself at the aggressor, "Get away you mean old man!"

The man and Lucrecia tumbled to the floor in a flurry of limbs.

On the hardwood floor Lucrecia was meet by an earnest gaze from the redhead, who said,"Do I really look old?"

Lucrecia blushed at his scrutinizing gaze and said, "No I lied, you're pretty cute actually."

" Jax get off her right now!"

Came Vincent's angry voice, but there was no need for this interjection since Jax leapt gleefully from the floor and whooped.

"I knew it all along! No woman can resist the sexiness that is... Jax!"

Lucrecia grinned, deciding she liked this guy, then remember he had been attacking Vincent.

She turned to Vincent who was glaring hotly at her and said, "Who's this guy?"

Vincent rolled his eyes and grumbled."My tutor."

" Why was your tutor hurting you?"

"Cause he's training me in fighting and he's a fucking psycho, that's why."

Jax slapped him across the face, which was quite a feat since he was still dancing merrily and sang, "No swearing, Vin Vin!"

" Shut up! I hate you!"

"Please, you're just jealous cause your girlfriend thinks I'm cuter than you!"

" No I'm not! I just…"

"Is that why you haven't been visiting?" Lucrecia interrupted, "Cause you're training?"

"Yeah." Vincent replied apologetically, looking down at his shoes, " I'm really sorry I didn't tell you."

Lucrecia's face lit up. She had been afraid that Vincent wasn't coming because he didn't like her.

Vincent smiled at her happy look, and Lucrecia realized that he almost never smiled. All the time she had known Vincent she had only seen him truly smile about a dozen times, not counting smirks, and he had laughed even less. It made her sad that he always went around with that look of apathy on his face. His slanted eyes sometimes had a lazy look to them… cold somehow.

When they looked that way they reminded Lucrecia of Vincent's mother, and for some reason she didn't feel that was a good thing.

Vincent began to frown at the serious look gracing Lucrecia's countenance, so she raised her outstretched hands to Vincent's face and pulled his cheeks into a smile.

Pulling him close she said earnestly,

"Vincent I want you to be happy. Always smiling like this, understand?"

They stood eye to eye, their gaze interlocked until they both broke out in laughter.

Lucrecia felt sort of special that she was one of the few people who could make Vincent laugh.

A long, scarred hand reached between them and Jax grasped Lucrecia by the shoulder and began to lead her away as he said, "Yes, darling, as much as we enjoyed this little visit, me and your boyfriend still have many things to discuss and seeing as you are very distracting I'm afraid I must ask you to leave. Don't take it personally, I'm sure you will have many other occasions to talk to Vincent when he is not in the middle of training."

"Oh I'm sorry!" Lucrecia replied holding her hand in front of her mouth, "I forgot you guys were training! I need to go home anyways, or mom'll be worried. You don't need to show me the way out or anything, I can figure it out!"

She swiftly ducked under Jax's arm, turned and gave Vincent a kiss on the cheek, then hightailed her way out the door.

She had sprinted all the way home and was now in her room musing over the happenings of the day.

Lucrecia unrolled herself from the blanket and said to her mirror, "I can't wait to go to Vincent's house again! It's way more interesting there!"

Then she left to go and bug her big brother.

_---666---_

Eris stood in her room gasping for air.

Wreckage surrounded her, but she couldn't since her vision was clouded with unfounded rage.

After leaving Lucrecia, Eris had calmly entered her bedroom and ripped apart anything she could get her hands on.

Her curtains hung in shreds, and bits of her expensive clothing and blankets were strewn all about the room. The varnished cupboards had long scratches across them, inflicted by Eris's own fingernails, and the mirror over her armoire had been shattered. In the shards of glass could be seen the dark haired woman reflected a hundredfold.

Blood streaked down her cheeks, from where her ripped fingernails had touched her face, making it look as if she was crying crison tears. But Eris wasn't crying, she wasn't even thinking rationally enough to cry. Her mind was like the shards of the mirror.

Splintered into pieces.

"That little bitch," she whispered in a foreign, croaking voice, "fucking whore."

Eris curled up on the ground, heedless of the sharp glass and rocked her self back and forth.

"Vincent's leaving. He's leaving. To be a soldier."

She rocked faster.

"Leaving, leaving, leaving, leaving his mommy to go to the city. Leaving to be a killer. Leaving to be in danger and get hurt, I just know he'll get hurt."

Her eyes darted back and forth like a stalked animal.

"What will I do without him?" she whined, "What will I do? This has all been for him! I only live for him! Why? Why would he ever want to leave me?"

Brimming in sorrow, she screamed and moaned throwing herself around the room as if she were in the throes of death, beating her knuckles bloody against the wall. Then she slumped into the corner, her hair shadowing her face and whispered pathetically,

"Why would he leave me?"

Suddenly, she snapped her head up and her lips twisted into an animalistic grin as she gazed at some chimera, plaguing her consciousness.

She had come to a realization. It was like a dawn in her mind, and promised hope once again if only she followed it.

She had to kill Lucrecia

Lucrecia was the one who wanted to go to Midgar. Eris was sure that Vincent would never have wanted to leave her if that whore had not seduced himinto it. Hislogic was simply clouded by that girl's façade of innocence and was blinded from the truth.

Eris's whole body twitched as she nodded to herself and shakily stood up.

"While I'm at it, " she croaked, "Why not kill her whole family too? Why not the whole town? They're all the reason for Vincent's unhappiness. I'll hurt them for hurting him. I'll kill them, murder them, slice them all into little pieces!"

The woman laughed. It sounded alien, unnatural as it bounced eirily off the walls of her room.

Eris left the room with one thought echoing over and over in her depraved mind.

Kill Lucrecia.

_---666---_

As soon as Lucrecia exited the room, Jax ushered Vincent over to a table and they both sat down.

Jax was uncharacteristically somber as he said to Vincent, "You have been doing an amazing in the development of both your educational and physical skills. I'm very impressed."

Vincent didn't know what to say to this. Jax had never complimented him before.

He nervously replied, "Um, thank you."

"Yes, now I have something rather shocking to tell you."

"Shocking?"

"Yes, you see I didn't just come here for the tutoring job. I came here because I wanted to meet you, because I made a promise to someone a long time ago to find you."

Vincent was dumbfounded. He stared at the enigmatic man and said incredulously, "A promise to someone that you'd find me? That doesn't make any sense. The only people I know in the world live in this town. You're pulling my leg Jax, stop it."

Jax rubbed his scar and said, "I wish I was, Vincent... I wish I was... I've been concealing who I truly am from you this whole time. I thought I should wait until I'd given you some training and gotten to know you before I gave you such disturbing information."

Angrily Vincent said, "Well why don't you tell me? Stop dancing around what you're gonna say and just say it? Who are you anyways Jax? I don't think you're just another average tutor."

"I'm not."

"Well?"

"Vincent, you have to promise to remain calm when I tell you this. The situation here hangs in a very precarious balance, and I don't want you to upset a volatile individual involved. Essentially, your mother."

"My mother?"

"Yes… you see Vincent, I'm really the leader of an organization called the Turks. They are a group of choice individuals recruited by Shinra."

"Shinra… that big company in Midgar? The one that's started all the Mako production?"

"Precisely, on the surface they say we are hired to scout out new members for SOLDIER, but in fact we're more like assassins. We stop Shinra's enemies, and carry out other underhanded dealings to keep Shinra's reputation clean."

"I don't get it… what's this have to do with me?"

"I'm coming to that, see when I was first recruited there was a very powerful man leading the Turks. He was in fact the very first member, practically the founder of our group. He was amazing with his pistol and an incredible marksman, while at the same time he was a great strategist and we couldn't have asked for a better leader. He wasthe most brilliant man I have ever met."

There was admiration in Jax's eyes like Vincent had never seen before, intrigued he queried, "What happened to him?"

"Well for many years I fought alongside this man. We became the best of friends, and were practically unbeatable. Then the man met a woman, and abruptly left the Turks without a single look back. We were all incredibly surprised. I mean, he was the definition of a devoted worker, but he was completely entranced by this woman. Now, I don't know what happened between them, but many years later I was awoken in the middle of the night to find him on my porch, terribly wounded. I took him inside and bandaged him up best I could. He was feverish and all he would say was, 'She took him, she took my only son.'

Vincent's stomach dropped, and suddenly he would have given anything to not be listening to that story.

"I went back to sleep and in the morning he was gone, only leaving a note behind. This is the note."

Jax pulled a weathered piece of paper, and handed it over to Vincent who held it up with trembling fingers.

"Jax, I don't think I'll be living that much longer. Something happened to her... she became a monster. I couldn't stop her, and now I fear that I am finally going to die. I don't have many regrets, just one. That my only son should be left all alone in the clutches of a mad woman. I want you to find him for me. Find him and take him back with you, tell him who his real father is. The woman's name is Eris Ariface. Please find her and bring my son back. Your friend, Skyler Valentine."

Vincent numbly read aloud. He couldn't think straight.

A madwoman? Valentine? He didn't understand. He didn't want to understand.

"Jax?" he whispered pleadingly, "Tell me what does this mean? It can't be true… can it?"

"It is," Jax replied his yellow eyes sympathetic, "Your real father was a Turk by the name Skyler Valentine, from whom your mother stole you when you were merely an infant. The man whom you have always thought to be your father is a fake."

Vincent slumped against his chair and tried to process what was being told to him.

"My name is… Vincent Valentine."

* * *

Shocked? Awed? Probably not cause everyone knows he's not Vincent Ariface. The next chapters of EPIC proportions so keep your eye out for it. It will ultimately change the whole setting of this fic.

Review pretty please!


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